The first day of our wilderness adventure was starting to slip away from us.  We were losing light fast.  It was nearly 3:30 p.m. by the time we unloaded all of our gear from the float plane, leaving only a few more hours to set up camp.  With the skies taking on an ominous color and the clouds beginning to churn, we quickly started working on constructing the tents that we would use for sleeping and cooking.
 

 
 

 
 
 
 

 
Under normal circumstances, Monty commissions additional float plane flights to transport bait and supplies into his camps prior to the scheduled arrival of his bear hunting clients.  He then pre-baits multiple stand locations to assure that his clients are hunting over fresh and active bait sites.  He usually hosts hunters at both camps each spring.  The normal routine is to have his first set of clients pursue bears in the Giraffe Lake area and then jump over to Hobb’s Lake via a short float plane ride the following week with another set of clients, or vice versa.

 

Base Camp Locations Map
 

However, the ice-covered lakes severely altered his plans this time around, and now we had to assemble the tents and distribute the bear bait ourselves.  All things considered, it was a labor of love.  After all, we were in Canada, in a backcountry bear hunting paradise with nothing but unspoiled wilderness surrounding us for as far as the eye could see.  Nevertheless, the bears would simply have to wait another day for the items on their grocery list to be delivered as the day was quickly coming to an end. 

 

Tired, hungry and pleasantly overwhelmed by the moment, we all sat down to a fine home-cooked meal just as the sun was starting to descend the horizon.  Adding to the ambiance and overall enjoyment of our late supper was the peaceful wail of several loons calling out to their fair-feathered love interests.  Now, basking in the radiant glow of the rising moon, we quietly savored each bite of our well-earned chow and took in the sounds of nature at its very finest.  Sleep would come easy.

 

Loon Vocalizations:
 
Loon Wail  
Loon Yodel
 
 
Stay Tuned for Day 2